I wish that I could tell you all of the ways that spending 2 weeks in Malawi, Africa changed my life. But I'm actually still discovering them for myself, a month after being back. This is probably something that I will write about often. You simply do not visit a third world country and come away unaffected. (Be it Africa, or otherwise.) I am still processing the things that I saw, the hands that I held, all of the emotions, and the way those people touched my heart. So, if you find yourself a frequent visitor to this blog- know now that you will read about Africa a lot. But...back to one of the ways 2 weeks in Africa changed my life...
I love coffee. I love specialty coffee, and the coffee shop experience. Phoenix is a great place to live for the coffee shop scene. I have explored many a cafes downtown and in the north west valley. I have my favorites, but have yet to find a shop that I don't like. Each has its own personality, and beverages. One thing they all have in common, though, is price range.
Being a college student only working part time, I run a pretty tight budget. I am conscious of spending, and try to refrain from unnecessary purchases. Except when it comes to coffee. Coffee is about the only thing that I will justify spending $5 a cup for- because I love it that much!
Well, a while back I got some coupons for a coffee place downtown that I enjoy. They expire at the end of this month, so my roommate and I decided that we needed to take advantage of this deal and use them. As we were preparing to leave, I came to the realization that I have not gotten coffee since I have been back in the US. (Yes, I have made coffee from generic brand grounds in my personal coffee maker-but I have not purchased a cup of specialty coffee from a shop.) This struck me. I had been known to go get coffee AT LEAST once a week. My wallet is chalk full of punch cards from all of my favorite places; yet, I hadn't gotten any form of iced latte in a whole month. And then I began to wonder why.
When families are making $1 a day just to survive, spending 5 bucks on a drink that will not last seems utterly pointless. Now, I'm not here to lecture, or make you feel guilty if you love to splurge on coffee as much as I do. I am simply putting into words what I believe is at the core of my unrealized coffee refrain. Living life, though only a short piece of two weeks, with these families has shifted the way I see the money, America, luxuries such as coffee, and really my whole world.
So often while overseas, from our American lips come the words "We are so blessed." But I don't believe that we are blessed just because we live in America, because we make more than $1 a day, because we live in excess, because we hoard money and possessions, because we love luxury, and turn a blind eye to the poor. "Blessed" is NOT the same thing as spoiled. (And now I may have stepped too high onto that soap box.)
Don't get me wrong. I have not suddenly decided that I will not enjoy an iced macciato every now and then. Coffee shops are an escape for me, a safe haven for conversations with beautiful friends, and a delightful place to study- school books or the Bible. I will continue to justify spending the 5 bucks on a drink (Or maybe opt for tea- which is extremely cheaper in comparison!). But I hope to be more conscious of those 5 dollars. And I hope that you will be too.
Also, plug if I may... Mocha Club is a great organization that I have been apart of for about a year and a half. They're based off of kinda the same thought process I have going here. $7 a month, they say is about the cost of 2 mochas. $7 can provide clean water for 7 Africans for a year. Crazy, right? This organization has several projects throughout Africa: clean water, orphanages, at risk women, medical care, etc. It's pretty great. If this sounds like something interesting to you, check them out at www.themochaclub.org.
And watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAB-zJPsJjs. It basically explains exactly where my heart is.
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